


words to consider, reconsider

by orlesiantitans



Series: Damerey Daily 2020 [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Because I think I'm funny, Ben Solo is a TROLL, DamereyDaily2020, F/M, First Kiss, Force Ghosts, Humour, Politicians, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22074535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orlesiantitans/pseuds/orlesiantitans
Summary: “Leia, I swear, if one more person suggests that I would make a good politician, I will find a ship, I will take it to Ach-To, and I will turn into a hobo like Luke. I might even grow a beard-”
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: Damerey Daily 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588942
Comments: 9
Kudos: 98
Collections: Damerey Daily 2020





	words to consider, reconsider

**Author's Note:**

> So, taking part in this as part of my attempt to write more this year. Title from 'Praise Song for the Day' by Elizabeth Alexander.

“This is impossible,” Rey moaned, pushing away the holopad and holding her head in her hands. Trying to figure out laws in a galaxy that hadn’t been truly governed by them (that hadn’t been truly _safe_ ) in generations seemed impossible, and the most she stared at the laws of the Old Republic, of the New Republic, of the governmental structures of all the different planets and systems, the more she wanted to hop on the Falcon and leave the galaxy lawless.

Perhaps it was terrible, but all she could wonder was what the New Republic had done for _her_. What had been done to stop the terrible treatment of people on Jakku, and on planets like it? Planets where people were exploited for an ever-dwindling supply of _scraps_. Glancing up from where he was sitting with half a roll in his mouth, his own holopad in his hand, Poe raised an eyebrow, “W’a? Ish no’ _imposhible_ ,” he said as he chewed, and she scrunched up her nose in response.

The women she’d heard talking – both on Jakku and since she joined the Resistance – were absolutely right. Men were disgusting creatures, and she briefly wondered how anyone put _up_ with them. She knew of women who were married, and it seemed a shame that they would waste themselves on such creatures.

But they could be awfully pretty. Poe was awfully pre – _no_. She wasn’t going to think about that.

“It _is_ impossible. And why’s it our job, anyway? We won the war, are there no politicians around to deal with all this… _stuff_?”

“All the politicians are dead, Rey. The ones that live have issues to deal with on their own planets. The Resistance ended the war, it’s our responsibility to deal with clean-up,” Poe replied. “The Senate ruled peacefully for a thousand years, perhaps it’s best to just restore that.”

“A thousand years of corruption is not _peace_ , Poe. It’s the illusion of peace for those rich enough to enjoy it. They tried to bring back that form of government, and nothing changed for most people. They still worried about their children getting fed enough, and others still had to live in slavery.”

Poe looked offended, “The New Republic wasn’t _perfect_ , Rey, but it was a hell of a lot better than the altern-”

“Not when not everyone is represented!” Rey replied, voice edging on fury. “What did the New Republic do for me, when I was starving and frightened? They cooperated with law enforcement on Corellia when they felt they _had_ to, but what other lawless planets remained lawless? You were lucky. Not everyone was.”

It looked like he’d not thought of that. For a while he turned pensive, and Rey did briefly worry she’d offended him, but she couldn’t stand the way he – and other members of the Resistance – sometimes acted as though the New Republic was infallible – when, in reality, these things always had a downfall. Politicians, power, it would always lead to corruption. And it would always lead to trouble when some people, or some groups of people, didn’t have a say.

“My parents fought for it, Rey,” Poe said, voice tight. “ _I_ fought for it. If we didn’t fight to restore democracy, what the hell were we fighting for? If I wanted some orderly, uniform world I’d have just sipped koyo juice on Yavin IV until this war was over. I believe in it, _Leia_ believed in it-”

“You and Leia have a different view to me. To Finn, even, he’s seen different ways of things,” she gnawed on her thumb, trying to think. “What about… okay. Each area of a planet elects a representative. Each planet elects a representative. The areas decide their laws, the planet representative decides the planet’s laws, and then… there’s a small contingent of people in charge of everything. Only important things – slavery laws, laws on what rights people have, that sort of thing.”

Poe stared at her, “Really not seeing the difference between this and the Senate, Rey.”

“Well, they wouldn’t be in charge of _everything_. Just the important stuff. And scrap each planet sending their representatives to hold meetings on everything – the Senate was two thousand large, and still didn’t have everyone. We need to separate the galaxy into sections. One person in charge of each section. They take issues from the leaders of each area, and they have to have someone - a vice leader? - to keep them in check. Stop the number from getting too high, and only keep them in charge of the important things.”

“So you’re suggesting… more like a united peacekeeping force, as opposed to a governmental body?”

Rey grinned, “Exactly! Each planet gets its’ own government. Of course, we’ll have to look into how to get the more corrupt planets to cooperate, but there has to be a way. Not my job.”

“You’d make a decent politician,” Poe said, with a smirk. Rey’s face morphed into something of horror, and she slapped him on the shoulder. He laughed at the pathetic hit, and dodged the next one she tried to place on him. She resented that. A _politician_. She’d rather face down the Emperor again with nothing but her old staff than become a politician.

_Sorry Leia_ , she thought to herself, _but politicians are typically old and boring._

“Will it work?” she eventually asked Poe, who’d been noting it down.

He tilted his head to the side, “Might need a bit of work, but I’ll pitch it to some of the other higher ups. Seems like a solid idea, and… well, trying something new might work. Just need to figure out how we get rid of corruption, but I imagine any fledgling government has to work that out.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he left, and seemed to freeze for a moment after he did so, as if not quite able to believe he’d _done_ that. She flushed bright red, and opened her mouth, ready to give him a piece of her mind, when he suddenly just walked out the room, and she was left staring at his back.

“He’s right, you know,” came Leia’s voice, and Rey turned to her in shock. Of course, she knew that the woman tended to watch them pretty closely, but hearing her talk was something else entirely. She folded her arms over her chest. “You would make a good politician.”

“Leia, I swear, if one more person suggests that I would make a good politician, I will find a ship, I will take it to Ach-To, and I will turn into a hobo like Luke. I might even grow a beard-”

“You’d make a good politician, but not a good hobo. Also, I don’t think a beard would suit you very well,” came another voice, and Rey turned to glare at Ben, instead. If there was one thing she’d found out about Ben Solo – something that separated him more definitely from Kylo Ren – it was that he was a sarcastic bastard.

“You’re a sarcastic bastard,” she told him.

“I resent that. I know who my father is, and he was married to my mother.”

She narrowed her eyes, and Leia gave a sigh like she was mediating an argument between two particularly unruly children. It was all rather bizarre, really – and Rey knew it would look worse to someone who couldn’t see either of them. She’d be having an argument with _herself_ about the life of a hobo and being a sarcastic bastard.

“My point is, Rey… consider placing yourself on this new government. You were right. Not all those who’ll be running for it know the reality of it. You do. Might be worth it,” Leia told her, gently.

Ben sucked in his cheeks, “I disagree. Do you honestly think she’d stay quiet if there was something she disagreed with? She’s too outspoken for politics. Rey’s more a… keeping them in line sort. Maybe you should have one of those on your new government. Make Dameron be a politician. I’d like to watch you tell him how it is _all day long_.”

She glared at him, especially when he smirked and continued, “And the sexual tension is quite fascinating, too. It’s a shame that there aren’t any snacks in the afterlife, because watching you both is entertaining.”

In that moment, Rey decided she was quite finished with both of them for that day, and she stormed out of the room. This… _wasn’t_ really much use when it came to escaping the dead, but it was a better option than closing her eyes and trying to will them away, so she decided it was a suitable replacement.

The next few months were a flurry of activity. Setting up a government, it turned out, was a pretty strenuous task. And Poe wasn’t very helpful about it, either – he deferred to her on nearly everything, and she found herself regretting getting involved in it at all. But as she watched it take shape and form under their guidance, she almost felt _proud_ , and the fact that some planets that had never had democracy before were finally getting representatives – rich and poor, old and young – was encouraging. Slavery was slowly being phased out. Children were being taken into homes that, while imperfect, looked to finding them _families_. The first time Rey saw a skinny little girl being enveloped in the arms of a woman who’d wanted a child for years she felt a tiny piece of her warm. No child would live like she had.

And parents who’d lost children to the Order? They were getting them back, too. Kids that had almost forgotten having a home looking at people and sobbing when they got them back was wonderful.

(And seeing the older ones reunite – seeing Finn find his sister – had been just as warming)

The galaxy was finally healing. She’d had a part of it. As had Poe.

“You going to go into politics?” she asked, nudging his shoulder with hers as they watched the first representatives meet each other. He laughed.

“No. Too hot-headed for it. And I’ve been told I always think I’m right,” he added, glancing over at her with a grin. “Good for a General. Not so much for a political leader. No. I’m taking a break. Then I might train some other pilots to avoid hot-headed flyboys like me getting into the air without thinking of the consequences.”  
  


“Back to Yavin IV, then?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Wanna come with me?”

He was staring straight ahead, swallowing in a way that made his throat bob endearingly, his cheeks ruddy and his hair flopped over his forehead in a way that made her stomach flutter.

“You going to miss arguing with me, Dameron?” she teased.

He flushed redder, “Look, if you don’t _want_ to come...”

She turned his face to hers, and – after a second of deliberation – pressed a kiss to his lips.

“I didn’t say that, flyboy. Though I _might_ come back. I’ve been reliably informed I’d make a decent galactic peacemaker. And… well. That’s what Jedi are meant to be, right?”

He grinned, looking a little shellshocked, “Right. Yeah. Sorry. What was that?”

She laughed, shoving her hands in her pockets and turning just a little red herself.

And hugged Poe to her to give the middle finger over his shoulder when she saw Ben kriffing Solo giving her two thumbs up from the corner.


End file.
